Chevalier d’Éon in Assassin’s Creed Unity

Chevalier d’Éon is a French transgender woman known for her work as a diplomat, spy, dueler, and military exploits. The game describes her as: “Le Chévalier d’Éon, showman and swordswoman! We are at loss for words. Should these pages be singing the glory of his exquisite taste in dresses or the unique finesse of his deadly swordplay? Le Chévalier d’Éon has dumbfounded us once again.” Notably, however, the character is voiced by a male voice-actor. D’Éon first began dressing as a woman for her espionage services for France in the mid 1700s, but she began publicly and routinely presenting as female in 1777. In Assassin’s Creed: Unity, d’Éon introduces herself as “a master swordsman” and tells Assassin Arno to “not be confused by my attire, I simply prefer to clothe myself in female garb” as seen in this video . She gives Arno the quest of dueling various swordsmen around the city, culminating in a duel with d’Eon herself. At the start of the fight D’Eon describes herself as “one of Europe’s greatest swordsmen. Or swords-women for that matter.” Her portrayal in Unity and information about the real historical figureseems to imply she identifies as a woman and not a crossdressing man.